Toy boat with outboard motor



Sept. 29, 1931. i|. s. RocKwELL TOY BOAT WITH OUTBOARD MOTOR Filed April 29, 1951 Patented Sept. 29, 1931 nnnnnef: s.` nocxwnnr., or nornwnnr., new JERSEY, AssIeNonffroH. A. SMITHY iraoninn cor-,trama or Hornwnm, new

GERSEY orner.

TOY BOAT WITH OUTVBGARD IJIOTOR Application filed April 29,

This invention relates to small boats and Aoutboard motors for propelling the same.

. some of its principles and features may find application to ready and advantageous' power driven, passenger carrying boats, and

to other power units o' various types.

lt is the primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved outboard motor, that is compact in design, light in weight and cheap to manufacture. Preferably, the device is a `spring motor of miniature size for propelling toy boats. The term motor is herein used as defining a complete power plant or unit Vcomprising a power source and a` propeller inter-connected by power transmission means. n

Sonie of the 'further objects, subordinate 'to that above stated7` are to provide either' singly or in combination, in a motor ot the character speciiied: A spring casing having winding means arranged at its top 'for convenient manipulation when the boatis-in the water; a novel type or braking or speedreg ulating means adapted for convenient externa-l control; a specific form of drive embodying novel means for permitting a spring to be wound without rotating the propeller shattga vertical rudder in the formel a fin ixed relative to the motor trame; a tiller rigidly associated with the motor frameworlr; a special framework ot strong and light construction; and a propeller simply formed i. on-e piece by twisting a sing-lsV strip of sheet material into proper curvature.

Another major object of the present invention consists in the provision vof novel means for mounting an outboard motor on a boat in manner to permit the entire motor to be readily shifted about a vertical axis. rlhe vertical axis preferably lies without the body of the boat and the casing for the power source preferably ispartially supported for oscillation on the boat body` @ther and more specific objects of my in-V vention will appear from the following detailed description and appended claims when studi-ed in connection with the accomo panying drawings7 wherein:

of the stern or the 1931. vSerial No. 533,320.

Figure l represents a side view of a preferred Jform of the invention7 showing an outboard spring motor mounted on the stern of the boat,the spring and gear housing being partially broken away and some of the parts illustrated in section.

Figure 2 is aplan view of, the motor as it appears when dismounted from the boat. Figure S is a plan view of the motor with the top of' the spring casing removed.

Figure et represents a sectional view seen when looking downwardly ontoV the plane ot line eh-tin Figure l, with the boat removed.

Figure 5 is a the'boat, with an element of the motor included in section to illustrate the method of pivotallysupporting the motor upon the boat` W ith continued reference to the drawings, wherein like characters are employed to designate lille parts, and with particular reference for the moment to Figures l and 5,

a motor assembly M is shown mounted upon the stern of a boat B. Y

The motor comprises a framework formed mainly` by a cylindrical housing 6 which receives the upper Vends of a substantially Ushapedmountingandguarding member 7 that is arranged longitudinally in the central vertical plane of the boat. The stern of boat has an arcuate seat 8 cut thereon tor receiving a small portion of the housing 6. It also has a vertical channel 9 cut to form a bearing for a portion ot the mount i ing frame member 7, the depth of this channel being slightly less thanV the diameter of ,the member so that a portion of the latter Vmay extend beyond the stern to be frictionally engaged by a semi-rigid mounting` plate 10. The latter is drawn against the member 7 by a pair of screw bolts 12 which extend from within the boat, outwardly through the ends of the plate and thence into adjustable screw-threaded engagement Vwith nuts 13. A removable seat 14 is fitted within the stern of the `boat to conceal the bolt heads and to aid in preventing water ,from leakingpast the bolt `bodies into the boat.

Jnnsnv, n conronaafron er NEW" detailed lpartial plan view f The lower side of the housing 6 rigidly supports a vertical tube. 15 that forms a housing for a driving shaft section 16. The lower end of this tube carries an inverted cup 17 which provides bearings for supporting a horizontal shaft 18 upon one end of which is secured the hub 19 of a screw propeller 20. The propeller shaft 18 carries a pinion 22 through which it is driven by a crown gear 23 mount-ed on the vertical shaft 16. The upper end of the latter projects into the housing 6 to be driven by gearing and a spring motor later to be described.

A rudder, in the form of a vertical flat fin 24, is rigidly mounted at the rear side of the housing tube 15 by having its upper end secured to the housing 6 and its lower end fastened at the cup 17. An arm 25 is rigidly secured upon the upper side of the housing 6 and projects into the boat to provide a tiller for swinging the entire motor assembly about its vertical pivotal axis. This actuation of the tiller positions the rudder 24 and the axis of the propeller at any desired angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the boat, to steer the latter in predetermined manner. The arcuate seat 8 of course is of such size and shape as to permit the assembly to be swung through a predetermined angle without binding engement between the housing 6 and the side walls of said arcuate seat. The adjustable screw bolts 12 may be sufficiently loose to permit substantially free oscillation of the frame member 7, or they may be tightened so that the plate 10 will permit manual oscillation of the motor but will frictionally hold the motor in a set or selected angular position during norma-l operation of the boat. A child may thus set the tiller to dispatch the boat toward a particular destination. It may be caused to travel in circles, or to leave the shore at one point and later come in to shore at another desired point.

The propeller 20 is formed simply and cheaply by cutting a properly curved flat blank as a single piece from a flat sheet of metal, and then twisting the opposite ends of the blank about the axis of the latter to forni the propelling blades. This one-piece propeller is then soldered or otherwise secured to the hub 19.

The housing 6 comprises three horizontally parallel, circular decks 26, 27 and 28, encased by a cylindrical side wall 29. The upper ends of the U-member 7 pass through the several decks to assist in positioning them. In addition there is a pair of pins 30 carrying sleeves 32 for maintaining the decks in proper spaced relationship.

A vertical pin or shaft 33 is mounted axially of the housing 6 with its ends freely journalled in the upper and lower decks of the latter. Tie space between the upper deck and the intermediate deck 27 receives a band spring 34, one end of which is fastened to the shaft 33 and the other end of which is fastened to one of the pins 30. A gear wheel 35 is secured to shaft just above the spring, this wheel being in mesh with a pinion 36 that is non-rotatably carried by a winding shaft 37. The latter is j ournalled in a bearing element 38, provided on the housing 6, and it projects outwardly to receive a conveniently operable winding wheel 39. The wheel 39 is in the form of a perforated flywheel and rigidly carries a winding crank 40 for manual operation. Rotation of the flywheel in a clockwise direction will cause the spring to be wound up. The energy stored in the spring in this manner may be released to drive the propeller through the following mechanism disposed between the decks 27 and 28.

l/Vith reference to Figures 1 and 4, the

lower end of the shaft 33 has fixed thereon a small ratchet wheel 42 having a sleeve extension 43 around which is rotatably litted a gear wheel 44, the latter being supported by a thick washer 45 secured on the sleeve end. The shaft, ratchet wheel and washer are locked together for rotation a unit at all times, whereas the gear wheel rotates with this unit only at such time as the spring is unwinding to cause rotatirm of the unit in a clockwise direction. This forced rotation of the gear 44 in one direction is caused by a pawl 46 pivoted at 47 on the gear wheel and pressed into engagement with the ratchet teeth by a curved wire spring 48 that has one of its ends firmly secured to the gear wheel as at 49. It will be seen (Figure 4) that the pawl interlocks the gear and ratchet wheels for clockwise rotation, but permits the ratchet wheel to be rotated in the opposite direction without moving the gear wheel, thus permitting the spring to be wound without imparting rcverse rotation to the propeller.

The gear wheel 44 is connected to the vertical drive shaft 16 by a step-up gear train comprising a pinion 50, an idler gear 52, and a second pinion 53. The pinion 50 and gear 52' are rotatable as a unit with a shaft 54 that has a fixed axis. The pinion 53 is iixed upon the shaft 16 for rotation therewith.

The combined assembly of the pinion 53, shaft 16 and crown gear 23 is so arranged and related to the other parts of the device that said assembly has a. snllicient amount of free, vertical play to permit the teeth of the crown gear either to sink into deep, binding mesh with the teeth of pinion 22 or to be raised upwardly until the two sets of teeth are in a shallow or free, efficient driving engagement. Then the motor is at rest, the force of gravity is suliicient to cause the deep binding mesh, and the motor will not readily start into operation from this position. As a result, when the boat is in its normal position (that postonassumed when floating on the water), the spring maybe wound up without manually against rotation. That is, the gravitycaused binding mesh of the crown gear automatically prevents the release of the stored energy. Vhen it is desired to start the wound motor into operation it is only necessary to grasp the winding crank, turn it a few degrees in its clockwise winding direction, and then suddenly release it. This sudden release overcomes the inertia of the parts to move them slightly and simultaneously raise the crown gear into a more eficient driving engagement with the teeth of the pinion 22.

A brakingor speed regulating device may be built into the motor if desired. This device comprises a disc 55 secured to the shaft 16 to rotate therewith, a flat spring 56 fastened at one end to the lower deck 28 and havinga free end projecting past a portion of the disc substantially in parallelism therewith, and a vertically adjustable screw 57 having its lower end in proximity to the flatspring. The screw is threaded through a block 58, rigidly supportedon the deck 27, and at its upper end is provided with a conveniently disposed manipulating knob 59.

The fiat spring 56 in its normal` or free position is, as illustrated, out of contact with the disc 55. However, upon manipulation of the screw 57 into engagement with the spring end, the latter maybe pushed into frictional surface contact with the disc. It should be obvious that this braking adjustment may` be utilized to regulate the `unwinding speed of the motor,.to stop the motor at will or to positively hold the propeller and its associated shafts against rotation while the spring is being wound up.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What I claim and desire to secure by U. S. Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described, in combination with a miniature boat body, a toy outboard spring motor assembly, means for pivotally mounting the entire motor assembly as a unit about a vertical axis at the stern of the boat body, means for swinging the motor assembly as a unit about said vertical axis to steer the boat, and means holding the propeller for yieldingly resisting said swinging movement. j

2. In combination with a boat body, an outboard motor assembly including a sub- :stantially cylindrical housing, and means for pivotally bly upon said mounting said motor assemboat body, said means including an arcuate seat formedin the stern of said body, said seat being shaped to receive and pivotally support a portion of said cylindrical housing. s f

3. In an outboard motor` assembly, a substantially U-shaped frame member; a motor housing mounted on the `upright ends of said member; and driving mechanism, including a propeller, suspended from said motorV housing into the space formed by the looped portion of said U-shaped member.

4 In an outboard motor assembly forV driving toy boats or the like, a framework; a motor mountedon said framework; drivmg mechanism comprising a, set of rotatable shafts; and a propeller, and gears for operably connecting said shafts together andV to said motor; one of said gears being designed with a portion forming a substantially disc-shaped surface; and meansfor controlling the running speed of said motor and said propeller; said means comprising an element designed to be brought into frictional engagement with said disc-shapedsuri face.

5.V In a' toy motor assembly, a power source, a step-up gear train driven by said power source,a vertical shaftV operatively connected to said gear train, said shaft being slightly movable vertically, a horizontally disposed crown gear mounted on said shaft, and a normally immersed propeller assembly having a pinion horizontally arranged below and in mesh with said crown gear, said vertical shaft and said crown gear having suiicient weight under'the action of gravity to thrust said crown gear type comprising a spring and a casing therefor, means for` winding said spring-and driving mechanism, including a normally immersed propeller, connected to said spring to be actuated thereby during unwinding movement thereof, said driving" mechanism further including means, automatically responsive to gravitational forces, for preing movement of said spring from a position of rest.

7. In an outboard motor assembly, a motor casing; a motor, and mechanism driven ioo into binding mesh with said pinion to pre-T lventing the unassisted initiation of unwind` 125 thereby, comprising a vertical shaft, a hoj Zontal shaft in geared connection therewith, and a propeller mounted on said horizontal shaft; and means for positioning and supporting said shafts; rudder in the form of a fin secured to the bottom of said motor casing and rigidl T projecting downwardly therefrom within the angle formed by said shafts.

8. In combination with a immature boat, a toy outboard motor assembly comprising a spring motor, a propeller, and driving mechanism between said spring motor and said propeller, and means for permitting shifting and for holding the propeller aXis out of alignment with the longitudinal axis of the miniature boat.

9. In a toy outboard motor assembly for propelling miniature boats, a motor comprising a spring, a propeller, and driving mechanism interconnecting said spring and said propeller; means for winding said spring; a casing tted around said spring; and an element having the appearance of a horizontal flywheel mounted adjacent the upper side ot said casing and connected to said motor.

l0. In the combination defined in claim 9, said liywlieel element and said winding means being united for bodily rotation.

ll. In combination with a miniature boat body, a toy outboard motor assembly; and means for pivotally mounting said assembly upon said body; said means comprising a vertical pivot member incorporated in said motor assembly, and a device designed for attachment to the boat body and for cooperation with said vertical pivot member, said device comprising an element in substantially yielding frictional engagement with said vertical member, and means for holding said element in position.

l2. In combination with a miniature boat body, a toy outboard motor assembly; and means for pivotally mounting said assembly upon said body; said means comprising a vertical pivot member incorporated in the motor assembly, and a device designed for attachment to the boat body and for cooperation with said vertical pivotl member, there being a vertical slot in said boat body for the reception of said vertical member, and said holding device comprising fitted across said slot and secured to the boat body.

13. In combination with a miniature boat body, a toy outboard motor assembly; and means for pivotally mounting' said assembly upon said body; said means comprising a vertical pivot member incorporated in the motor assembly, and a device designed for attachment to the boat body and for cooperation with said vertical pivot member, said device comprising a semi-rigid plate engaging said vertical member and adjustable fastsaid means including al an element ening means for securing said plate to the boat body.

14. In a toy outboard motor assembly for propelling small boats, a framework, a housing mounted on said framework, a spring within said housing, winding means operatively connected to one end of said spring, saidwinding means including a shai'ft projecting upwardly adjacent the top oi' said housing for convenient manipulation to store up energy in said spring, a propeller disposed below the lower plane of said housing and operatively connected to said spring to be driven by the latter, and braking means for controlling the unwinding movement ot' said spring, said braking means comprising an element projecting upwardly adjacent the top of said housing for convenient manipulation.

l5. A toy outboard motor assembly designed :tor attachment to a miniature boat, said assembly comprising a casing and framework forming a horizontal chamber above the water surface when the assembly is mounted in use, said chamber being horizontally partitioned into two compartments; a band spring horizontally disposed within one ot' said compartments; means for winding said spring; a set of gears mounted in the other compartment and driving connection with said spring; a driving member connected to said set of gears and projecting` downwardly into the water; an immersed propeller connected to the lower end of said driving member; and means permitting said spring to be wound without simultaneously rotating said propeller.

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature.

HERBERT s. RooKwELL. 

